Mike Pence’s NFL Walkout Was a Cheap, Transparent Stunt (at a cost to the taxpayer)

Not many people can grow up eating out of garbage cans and sleeping in a bed with 8 other kids in a shanty town and become millionaires literally
working their butt off.

The common person usually does what his peers are doing. Some of the kids are rich white and black football camp kids but a great deal are poor black
and white kids who want to be great.

I think the narrative of the jerk highschool preppy qb gets weeded out by the NFL. The backrounds there are incredible diverse and since adding the
iq test things have really changed. Instead of automatic A's thy now get tutors.

It would be nice if that translated into something here, as it pertains to this topic. What we have here are grown men making a protest, gaining the
attention of the nation, then doing absolutely nothing with that attention. Surely someone among them has some marketing education, and understands
that having an audience is having power?

If they are protesting a social issue, they blew it. The narrative was stolen without them uttering a peep. I've heard the nebulous "we are
protesting racial inequality", but see very little to expand on that blase term. A chance to point out all sorts of important social issues left
laying by the side of the road to rot. Instead, their moment came and went, and was repurposed as a tool to further divide the nation.

Woulda been better if they'd have just shut up. There may be noble intentions, but the end result is they simply dusted off the soapbox for more
political hate to fill the air, with no positive message to really be taken away.

Yes, so you see the reaction to one protest as invalid.
Many believe it is disrespectful to the country and thus Pence's counter protest is perfectly valid, and your opinion is your own.

That is some pure, premium BS deflection you are buying into UK (and laying down, too).
The counter-protest is a way of telling black people to sit down and shut up. Do you like that? Do you enjoy that?
Is it "valid" to do that?

Would the right call an abortion protest facilitated by a football player taking the knee an assault on the FLAG, on AMERICA? You know that answer to
that, even though you are deflecting. Of course they wouldn't. It would be a point of pride to kneel with them - you'd have Sean Hannity expressing
how "respectful to the flag" it was to kneel in reverence at what that flag stands for - everyone who sees how the game is played, knows this.

I'm saying the right and the left would have equal options to protest by taking a knee during the anthem, and that their protest, unless it was stated
as being "anti-American, anti-flag, anti-troops," is equally appropriate under the 1st Amendment, no matter how I personally FEEL about them doing it.
(It would still be protected speech if it was anti-American, and then and only then would it be ok to actually address that as the issue through
counter protest of anti-Americanism.)

Consider you just dropped $125/plate on a meal. As the server is coming out to serve the meal, you are instead given a few minutes of political
commentary. How does this make you feel, as the person who just put up a lot of cash for a nice meal? Is that what you money paid for?

That is what my counter protest is: we are paying for football, not politics for crying out loud. Can we at least get a discount since you are
ruining the ambiance that we paid for?

I just fail to see how anyone can find it "ok" that the ticket prices are what they are, and you still get to have politics shoved in your face while
paying those prices. Its the same reason people like to boo musicians who bring politics onto the stage...you paid a price to be entertained, not
bombarded with politcs.

The ones locking arms or raising fists were well aware of that and now have been lumped into the NFL protest.

If you look you find guys plenty doing stuff, going to congress, working with local police.

Just because the media doesn't cover that part doesn't mean it's not there.

Just look at Malcom Jenkins or Chris Long. There are many like them.

I know there is charity happening. The NFL players are among the most charitable of all pro sports. And I think that despite the bad apples that
give a bad name, NFL players are generally good guys with big hearts for their roots. I respect that a lot.

But I've also seen them with a mic in front of them saying stupid stuff when asked about the protest. Like I said: you have my attention...now what
are you doing with it? All those people with college degrees...and none of them can use that attention positively? None of them can steal back the
narrative?

The only reason people are being bombarded with politics is because of what Trump said and things like this happening. Before Trump made a speech
about it it was almost an afterthought, now it's headline news every day. Blame the media and this Administration, they're the ones who kicked this
whole thing into high gear.

Let me see if I fully grasp the situation here, a politician, used a hot button issue to make his political point. And because it worked so well, you
are outraged? Oh, forgive me, it's the 200K that it cost, my bad. Yea, that money could have been better used. Like a beer summit, or something
like that. (which I thought was kind of cool)

But I'll keep looking for your outrage when the left pisses money away for stupid #, I'm certain you will be at the forefront of the bitch brigade.

But I'll keep looking for your outrage when the left pisses money away for stupid #, I'm certain you will be at the forefront of the bitch
brigade.

And a walk in/walk out isn't stupid #? I've got no problem with him doing what he did, except that he thinks we are stupid enough not to get it, but
pay for it yourself. I don't see the players asking for money to protest. On the contrary you may LOSE money doing so. See Kaepernick.

Consider you just dropped $125/plate on a meal. As the server is coming out to serve the meal, you are instead given a few minutes of political
commentary. How does this make you feel, as the person who just put up a lot of cash for a nice meal? Is that what you money paid for?

That is what my counter protest is: we are paying for football, not politics for crying out loud. Can we at least get a discount since you are
ruining the ambiance that we paid for?

I just fail to see how anyone can find it "ok" that the ticket prices are what they are, and you still get to have politics shoved in your face while
paying those prices. Its the same reason people like to boo musicians who bring politics onto the stage...you paid a price to be entertained, not
bombarded with politcs.

Yeah, I get that. I do understand.

I just think the deflection to "they are disrespecting the FLAG!" is totally fake because they don't want to address the actual reason for the protest
- and Trump is the one who fanned that flame.

I wouldn't want to deal with the discomfort of partisan politics at the beginning of a football game either, feeling like you had to take a side from
the sidelines. I would just want to enjoy the game.

I also understand why people are passionate about trying to get attention put on perceived injustice.

Personally, if I were the NFL, I would just have the players stay in the locker room for the opening and introduce them after the anthem. They lose
all the paid recruitment money from the military though if they do that. So, in essence, the military is paying the NFL to have their players stand
for the anthem, so they can use them and their fame as promotional tools for the military. That adds a monkey wrench into the works, a bit. I'm not
even sure how that would impact the 1st Amendment rights of the players.

In your example, the waiter would be fired for inconveniencing the guest, most likely.

Should NFL players be fired for taking the knee? I'm just curious as to your thoughts on this. Personally, I think the whole thing has gotten out of
hand, and that it is being used by Trump to further create divisions, as well as being reacted to by those who don't want to be cowed by HIM - Trump's
made it about Trump, and that is yet another element. He chose to make it a deal, and now its an even bigger deal in the context of the ongoing
culture war.

If the NFL said as part of their employment that no protest could take place during the anthem, and that was in their contract, I'm pretty sure there
wouldn't be any protest during the anthem.

You betcha I'd cry crocodile tears. Because I know that money Trump wasted on this stunt could have gone to needy families in this country. What do
you care though? Seriously? Your guy's in so head in the sand.

Had nothing to say when Obama and Hillary wasted massive amounts

What massive amounts? Explain to me a time Obama and Hillary pulled such a stunt using tax payer money?

Please, enlighten me.

Here is an example of wasted funds...And this doesn't include the millions spent by the justice dept to see if this was racially motivated...

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